Fuyu no Ai
by XJapanda
Summary: After three years, Nezumi's questions are answered, and now all that's left for him is to find Shion. There are no physical obstacles in getting to him, but his brain tells him to turn away, while his heart seems to be urging him to move quicker. There's one thing that keeps him moving though. "It's just been too long."


**Fuyu no Ai**

**A/N:** [[**SPOILERS**]] This fic will take place after the ending events of the anime. It will continue three years in the future, where now that there is no wall separating No. 6 and the Western District. The people live together as one community after mother's death, and the correctional facility's destruction.

**Rating: M**

**Summary:** After three years, Nezumi's questions are answered, and now all that's left for him is to find Shion. There are no physical obstacles in getting to him, but his brain tells him to turn away, while his heart seems to be urging him to move quicker. There's one thing that keeps him moving though. "It's just been too long."

* * *

**Chapter One: Life is Good**

_It's been so long… Three years and counting. I want to see him. I want to see his face, has he changed much? I don't know how much longer I can wait…_

Shion tugged at his scarf as the winter chill shook him to his bones. He looked up towards the blue, cloudless sky, and then back down at the child that held his hand. He smiled gently as the boy's familiar laughter filled his ears. The small one with him was the same infant he and Nezumi had saved years ago from the holy cleansing of the Western District. Inukashi's dog had brought the baby to him shortly after the wall's fall, and he'd taken him to his mother. The three have lived together ever since.

After the explosion, both sides of the barricade had come into contact. It was a confusion nobody could ignore. Class was suddenly forgotten, and for once they were all just people. It was a wonderful sensation: The feeling of peace that settled over him completely as a whole. For once, No. 6 had an atmosphere of tranquility that it never had before.

But what came with that harmony also came with grief. He could still remember that last day vividly, as if it'd happened yesterday…

"_Nezumi…" Shion called out to the other's back, and watched as he turned back around to him. Nezumi paced his steps quickly and was once again standing in front of the boy. He leaned down those few inches; his breathing harsh yet controlled, and kissed Shion firmly but briefly. _

_Nezumi smiled, "You're going to be fine." And walked away. _

_Shion frowned vaguely as he viewed his friend's disappearing form. Unexpectedly, the dog that he'd entrusted the infant to was now by his side. He bent down and unraveled his coat that was used to secure the child. He smiled at the baby's healthy sounds of joy. _

"_You kept the baby safe, and Hamlet helped." He said to the dog and rat, and then breifly took out the chip that rested in his pocket. He dropped it to the desert ground and stepped on it. There was no need for it now, yet it was bittersweet to let it go. He felt as if that was his final goodbye to Safu. _

_We'll meet again, he told himself. Shion held the child in his arms tightly as he hiked to the wall. In the distance, he could hear his name, and for a second his heart stilled as he thought it was Nezumi. He did not turn around, although, and as he neared the city he recognized the voice. _

_Mother? _

"_Shion! Shion!" Karan ran towards the Western District, stepping over the fallen concrete. She spotted the white haired boy, and her heart sunk, but getting closer, realization hit her and she pushed her legs to go faster. "Shion!" _

"_Mother!" _

"_It's mom, stupid." She joked as tears rolled down her face and she finally embraced her son through the baby he was still holding. _

"_Mom…" Shion could not stop himself as he began to cry. He'd thought he would never see her again. "Oh, mom." _

_Karan did not ask questions, but simply beamed in gratefulness. Thank you, Rat. "Let's go home." _

After that, they avoided the chaos and went back to the small house, where Shion told his mother everything: How he was connected to the wall's destruction. That Safu had the power of Elyurias. The friend's he made. He'd skipped his and Nezumi's involvement with the annihilation of the correctional facility. It took him more than a year to finally rid of the nightmares from that night, and even still he would sometimes wake up screaming. Having to relive killing that man, and dying in the end. Feeling his own lifeless body fall down that shaft, it was unbearable. Absolutely unbearable. He cursed himself for his sins. He would relive that nightmare as much as he had to, even if it would never heal his consciousness. Did that man have a family? A wife? Children? He did not like to dwell on the possible thought that he could have ruined many lives at once. The only thing that kept him from following his should-be fate was the pure fact that this life was not his own – but Safu's. He would cherish it until his last breath.

"Shi-chan?"

The small boy broke Shion out of his thoughts and he shook his head, stormy eyes regaining their life. He resisted the urge to kick himself for almost ruining his mood. "What's wrong, Nell?"

"Shi-chan looks sad." The three year old boy pulled at the hem of his red jacket. Big, brown worried eyes stared up at him. There was an adoration that came with love, and it warmed the other's heart to know what he had. Despite relinquishing the fact that he may never see Nezumi again, when it all came down to it, he was quite happy with his life. A loving family and friends, and sharing dinner with those he cared about each night. He wasn't blind. Even Nell could see that. For a child, he was certainly smarter than Shion felt at the moment. He smiled genuinely even as an unforgiving wind blew over the two; his snowy white hair that matched the winter world flew over his gleaming red eyes. No use dwelling on what could be. What he had was good.

"Hey, Nell. Aren't you cold? How about we head back home? Mother said she was making apple pie and cocoa. I think I can smell it from here." He teased marginally to the child. He'd taken Nell to the nearby park about a block away from their house. He did not mind having to be out in the cold if it was for small boy, but he worried for his health. When Nell turned three at the end of August, he'd collapsed at this same park while playing with some friends. When they took him to the infirmary, despite all of the medical advances from when No. 6 was standing strong, they could not cure him. It was an unknown sickness, they said. There was nothing devastating, but his immune system was made very weak and unstable. Therefore, from time-to-time, he would fall ill. The antibiotics the hospital had given them shielded Nell from the worst of the disease, but it could not completely stop its effects. It was assumed that he'd picked it up from somewhere in the Western District.

_Once again, I have to put the worst input on everything. I wonder when that became a habit? _Shion squeezed the small hand he was holding as they walked back to the house.

...

Nezumi fought the impulse to scratch his nose as the falling snow fell atop of him. He'd wanted to wait until nightfall for the protection of the dark, but he could see his shallow breath form into cloud and his eyebrow twitched at his own conceitedness. His now significantly longer hair fell on top of shoulders and he jerked lightly so it wouldn't get in the way. He had it up, but it fell down a few seconds ago and it was currently blowing everywhere in a mess, stinging his face where it smacked him. The cloak that he usually wore around his neck was now loosely tied around him, being used to shield him from damage if he would happen to fall somehow.

He was currently climbing the side of Shion's house. Actually, he'd been around for about two months now, staying in his small abandoned home for a small while, not ready to face the other just yet. He guessed he should have felt guilty for not reuniting sooner, but… It was a lot to take in. And the contriteness of preparing himself, while the other would be caught unawares wasn't fair to Shion. So here he was. Although, waiting two months wasn't only to appease his own consciousness. Coming back to the city after three years, he didn't know how stable – or unstable it was. But living in secret he was able to understand, or at least compromise its current condition. It was like there was a civil war, but without the fighting. The people of No. 6 seemed to accept what happened, and now that Mother was gone, there was nothing left to control the city. In the three years, something like an anarchy had formed for a small while. If that was the right word. Because there was such a big commotion, representatives from other districts had come to scope out the situation. There had been an uproar, or so he heard. The peasants from the Western District revolted against those in authority, and surprisingly, the commoners of the city had too. Granted, a war was not wanted, so the matter was dropped quickly. Surprisingly, they even gave up on trying to find the culprits, the ones who destroyed the wall. The representatives were bewildered and taken aback at the turmoil. Angered at such a monstrosity they simply left No.6 to its own devices, feeling that it would slowly rot to its end. Someone like a governor was elected soon after though. Asper Clove was once a conspirator against the city and had worked at correctional facility. He was responsible for helping many prisoners escape and was looked upon as a sensible, righteous man. Nezumi had to smile at that.

His breath was slightly calmer as he reached his destination: Shion's bedroom window. He hadn't stayed away those two months, there was no helping it. He also watched Shion. Only to make sure he stayed out of trouble – that's what he told himself at least. It was slightly shocking and unexpected to see him with a small child, and he briefly wondered if the boy _had_ indeed gotten himself in a bit of a wrap. But of course that was completely out of the question. Shion was too much of a prude to even compensate the idea of sex. He remembered the night that girl Safu offered herself to her friend. A highly amusing antidote it was, but he soon realized that the kid with him was probably the one they saved a few years ago. Shion was the only person he knew that would take a complete stranger and welcome him with open arms and a warm smile.

Nezumi's jaw set and a look of annoyance masked his face. Leave it to that kid to keep his window wide open in the dead night of winter. Didn't he ever use his head? Someone could climb through the window – much like he was doing now – and mug them, or even worse. Of course he knew Shion could defend himself, but that was a completely stupid thing to forget. While he thought this, it was actually to his advantage. He could always count on the other to do something foolish like this. Maybe he left it open on purpose, and the reason _why _certainly crossed his mind as pleasant. He grunted as he hoisted himself over the windowsill and into the cold room. Nezumi took a second to scan the area, until his eyes landed on the sleeping boy. Shion was lying on his back, the comforter half slipping off his body. His mouth was open slightly and his breathing even. He chuckled at the sight.

He wasn't sure how he wanted to approach the boy at first, but the initial hesitancy wore off quickly. _Why not have it just like old times? _Nezumi fixed his cloak and tossed it onto the floor. With a sudden boost of speed he crossed the room and onto the bed where he promptly covered Shion's mouth with his hand.

Shion's eyes opened wide in alarm as he felt his mouth suddenly covered and a large weight on top of him. He tried to claw at the attacker, but he was subdued as he heard the man laugh. _What? _What was going on? Had somebody broken into his house? Was Nell playing a joke? But no, he wasn't this heavy, and he realized he knew this voice. His heart skipped a beat as he looked up, the moonlight clearly answering his suspicions. His eyes widened even more, if that were possible and his chest fell motionless. He struggled against Nezumi, and tried to speak though the leather gloves.

"Shh…" Nezumi urged the other to calm down. "You haven't gotten much stronger, have you…?" He waited until the boy under him stilled and he removed his hand, resting them on each side of his head on the bed. "…Shion." He whispered.

"Ne-Ne-Nezu…" Shion's stomach was queasy as he tried to speak properly, but his throat seemed to have a lump of emotion stuck deep, not allowing any reason to come out. "…Mi… Nezu… Mi."

"Nezumi… Get… off…" He squirmed and struggled and wished the other would get off of him. "Gonna…" Shion finally managed to roll off the bed and stumble to his bathroom where he just made it to the toilet. He lurched his last meal, salty tears rolled down his face, and his stomach dry heaved when there was nothing left to throw up. Ugh… He gripped the porcelain bowl tightly, his heart thumping wildly in his ears, unlike before. He spit into the water, and his face twisted at the taste in his mouth. Well, _that_ was a nice way to be woken up. But that didn't matter… _What?_ Confusion overwhelmed his senses. Was he dreaming? He certainly hoped not… This was… reality, right? Nezumi has returned! Oh god… That was a lot to take in. Why today? Not that he was complaining, but… "It hurts…" His heart hurt, his head ached, and his empty stomach throbbed in pain. None of that mattered at that moment, however. Shion felt his body falling over as his vision started to blur.

Nezumi followed the other into the bathroom and was well on his way to feeling truly remorseful. He hadn't meant to scare the other so much… Okay, so he _had _meant to, but he didn't think it would frighten him to this extent. When Shion suddenly doubled over, Nezumi's guilt-ridden heart amplified significantly. Little did he know, it was not the abrupt shock that had made the boy faint. "Shion!" He caught the other before he could hit the tile floor. "Idiot… Scaring me like that." He took him into his arms and gently carried him back over to his bed.

It did not take long for Shion to regain himself – it was probably the anxiety. "Nell…" He murmured, still out of it. _What just happened? _For a second, he really did think he was dreaming, and the thought that Nezumi was not really here made his heart sink. "Ne-"

"You!" Shion suddenly sprung up, but he quickly realized that that was not such a good idea and forced himself to compose. "You…" His eyebrows furrowed and he bit his lip, fighting the glaze in his eyes. "Idiot. Idiot!"

Nezumi still sat on the edge of the bed. His smile was still there, and he took the insults lightly. He looked so lively, despite just having passed out. But that was Shion for you. Ah… it's been far too long. He wanted to think he should have come sooner, but he did not let the thought cross his mind. He was tired though… It was quite a walk from his home to Shion's and he was worn out. At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to sleep even though he came all this way. The bed looked so inviting, so warm… he almost couldn't help himself. Kicking off his boots, Nezumi crawled up towards the pillows, and laid his head down. "It's late Shion… We'll talk tomorrow."

Shion moved towards the wall as Nezumi took up the edge of the bed and he scowled. "Wait-" But his words were left unsaid as he was pulled down back to the bed, his back resting against the other. He did not resist, as this reminded him of his time in the Western District. When they had to share such a small bed much like this one. It was not an unpleasant memory, and he welcomed it. Shion could feel his eyelids falling heavily. It's fine. If Nezumi wanted to sleep, he would let him. He would get his questions answered tomorrow. Besides, now that he knew this was not some figment of his imagination, he could rest peacefully.

Life was… good.

* * *

_Sorry this chapter is so short. I promise it'll get longer as the story progresses. Also, sorry for any typos. _


End file.
